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May 24, 2005

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(New York, May 24, 2005) Lambda Legal Executive Director Kevin Cathcart made the following statement concerning the compromise reached last night between Democrats and Republicans on the minority’s right to use a filibuster in the judicial nomination process:

“Last night, the Senate stepped back from the brink and, at least temporarily, prevented tyranny of the Senate majority by maintaining the potential to filibuster some extremist judicial nominees.

“Protecting the filibuster comes at a high price for the LGBT community. As part of this compromise, the full Senate in the days ahead will vote on whether to confirm perhaps the most antigay federal judicial nominee in memory. That’s William H. Pryor. “Pryor has compared our love to bestiality, incest and pedophilia. He says prohibiting antigay discrimination is giving us ‘special privileges.’ And he thinks one of our recent Supreme Court victories against antigay bigotry amounts to ‘new rules of political correctness.’ Our community must make every effort to stop Pryor from being confirmed to the U.S. Court of Appeals.

“For now, our top priority is defeating William H. Pryor. As we look ahead, however, we recognize that the battle is even larger, with our community’s ability to get a fair hearing at the Supreme Court hanging in the balance. This is a long-term effort, and we at Lambda Legal intend to be in it for the long haul.”

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Contact: Lisa Hardaway, 212-809-8585 x266

Lambda Legal is a national organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and those with HIV through impact litigation, education and public policy work.